LAREDO, Texas (3/11/19) – The 20th-ranked Arkansas State men’s golf team shot a combined 545 Monday at the Border Olympics, placing the Red Wolves atop the 16-team field after two rounds of play at the Laredo Country Club.

A-State, which holds an 11-stroke lead over second-place UT Rio Grande Valley, was led by four players ending the day among the top 25 individual leaders. Junior Matt Cole paced the squad with a 36-hole 132 that put him in first place, while fellow junior Zan Luka Stirn is tied for second with a combined 133.

The Red Wolves shot a first-round 275 before coming back to card a season-best 270 for the second 18 holes, which is their lowest team score since at least the 2007-08 season. A-State’s 275 tied its second lowest single-round total this year as well.

Cole’s combined score featured a 67 and 65 for the first and second rounds, respectively. Stirn turned in a 68 to open play and followed by matching Cole’s second-round 65, which was the lowest by an A-State player since the 2013-14 campaign.

Also finishing the day among the top-25 leaders for A-State were Luka Naglic in a tie for 11th place and Joel Wendin in a tie for 25th. Naglic recorded a 140 (72-68) and Wendin a 142 (68-74), helping the Red Wolves end the day 31 strokes under par as a team.

Also competing for A-State, Julien Sale is tied for 40th place with a 144 (72-72) and Jakub Bares tied for 69th with a 149 (75-74). Bares is playing as an individual.